I discovered after seeing Maxïmo Park that there are three key ingredients to a successful live show; megaphones, glowing onstage light poles, and dapper suits that involve extremely fitted trousers. The fact that they actually have some excellent songs and an energetic onstage presence was merely an added bonus to the gig.

They played an engaging mix of old and new material, however the primary purpose of the tour was to promote the new album Quicken the Heart. Although the sound of the new album is quite similar to their previous work, Maxïmo Park has really found a formula that works for them and that they can do well enough to keep things interesting.

Upbeat emotionality was the theme of the evening, and lead singer Paul Smith’s banter and general pelvic thrusts somehow did not seem out of place with the feel of the performance. All in all, it was certainly a show to “quicken the heart”.

This review was originally written for Albion Blog, and has been supplied to theAUreview with permission. Photos by Caroline Meathrel and James Mack.